Electronic apparatus and communication state notification method

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a communication module, a content information acquisition module, and a communication state notification module. The communication module executes close proximity wireless transfer. The content information acquisition module acquires content information about at least one content item to be transmitted between the communication module and an external device by negotiation. The communication state notification module executes either a first communication state notification processing of outputting a start tone indicative of start of transmission of the at least one content item and an end tone indicative of end of transmission of the at least one content item or a second communication state notification processing of suppressing output of the start tone and outputting the end tone, based on the acquired content information, when the at least one content item is transmitted between the communication module and the external device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2009-008085, filed Jan. 16, 2009, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

One embodiment of the invention relates to an electronic apparatus forexecuting close proximity wireless transfer, and a communication statenotification method applied to the apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, wireless communication such as NFC has been used in ICcards, mobile phones, and the like. The user can readily makecommunication for, e.g., authentication processing and charging merelyby holding an IC card or mobile phone over a reader/writer module of ahost apparatus.

A new close proximity wireless transfer technique which allowscommunication at higher speed has been developed these days. The newclose proximity wireless transfer technique makes it possible toexchange data files such as document data, image data, and audio databetween devices as well as authentication and charging services, merelyby bringing the devices close to each other.

The time required for wireless communication for, e.g., anauthentication processing service is instant (e.g., at most severalseconds). However, a period required to transfer data such as a largeamount of file using close proximity wireless transfer is relativelylong. Depending on the data size of a file, a communication time fromseveral tens of seconds to several minutes may be necessary for transferof the file.

Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-17830 discloses acommunication processing apparatus which outputs a chime tone from aloudspeaker upon establishment of connection with an externalcommunication processing apparatus via a communication line. The usercan readily determine the establishment of connection between thecommunication processing apparatuses by the chime tone, and efficientlytransmit data.

In a close proximity wireless transfer technique, devices must be keptclose to each other during communication. If the user accidentally movesone of the devices away from the other device during communication suchas transmission of content data, the connection between the devices isreleased and then the transmission process fails. A communication timerequired for transmission varies depending on, e.g., the data size ofcontent data to be transmitted or a transmission rate between thedevices. To prevent an operation error by the user during communication,it is necessary to appropriately notify the user of the communicationstate and its switching.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A general architecture that implements the various feature of theinvention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Thedrawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrateembodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram showing the system configuration ofan electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram showing the structure of acommunication control program used in the electronic apparatus of theembodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary perspective view showing the outer appearance ofthe electronic apparatus of the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing an example of close proximitywireless transfer executed between the electronic apparatus of theembodiment and an external device;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary sequence chart showing a communication sequenceexecuted between the electronic apparatus of the embodiment and anexternal device;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing an example of a communicationsituation notified by a communication state notification module of theelectronic apparatus of the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary view showing another example of the communicationsituation notified by the communication state notification module of theelectronic apparatus of the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart for explaining a procedure ofcommunication processing executed by the electronic apparatus of theembodiment;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart for explaining a detailed procedure ofthe communication processing executed by the electronic apparatus of theembodiment; and

FIG. 10 is an exemplary flowchart for explaining another detailedprocedure of the communication processing executed by the electronicapparatus of the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments according to the invention will be describedhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general,according to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided anelectronic apparatus comprising: a communication module configured toexecute close proximity wireless transfer; a content informationacquisition module configured to acquire content information about atleast one content item to be transmitted between the communicationmodule and an external device, by negotiation between the communicationmodule and the external device; and a communication state notificationmodule configured to execute either a first communication statenotification processing of outputting a start tone indicative of startof transmission of said at least one content item and an end toneindicative of end of transmission of said at least one content item or asecond communication state notification processing of suppressing outputof the start tone and outputting the end tone, based on the acquiredcontent information, when said at least one content item is transmittedbetween the communication module and the external device.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an electronic apparatus of anembodiment of the present invention. An electronic apparatus 10 isimplemented as, e.g., a mobile apparatus (e.g., a mobile phone, PDA, oraudio player), a personal computer, or a consumer apparatus (e.g., a TVor video recorder). The electronic apparatus 10 includes a systemcontrol module 11, memory 12, storage device 13, input module 14, liquidcrystal display (LCD) 15, sound controller 16, loudspeaker 17, indicator18, power supply control module 19, and close proximity wirelesstransfer device 20.

The system control module 11 controls the operation of the respectivemodules within the electronic apparatus 10. The system control module 11is connected to the memory 12, storage device 13, input module 14, LCD15, sound controller 16, indicator 18, power supply control module 19,and close proximity wireless transfer device 20. The system controlmodule 11 includes a CPU 101 a.

The CPU 101 a is a processor for executing an operating system andvarious application programs/utility programs, which are loaded from thestorage device 13 to the memory 12. The application programs/utilityprograms include a communication control program 12 a for controllingthe communication operation of the close proximity wireless transferdevice 20. The communication control program 12 a has a communicationstate notification function of notifying, using a sound or light, theuser of the state (start of data transmission, end of data transmission,transmission rate, and the like) of close proximity wireless transferexecuted by the close proximity wireless transfer device 20.

The storage device 13 is, e.g., a hard disk drive or a nonvolatilesemiconductor memory. The input module 14 is an input device forinputting data and instructions to be sent to the CPU 101 a. The inputmodule 14 is implemented by, e.g., a keyboard, button switches, or apointing device.

The LCD 15 is a display which is used as a display monitor of theelectronic apparatus 10. The sound controller 16 is a sound generatorfor outputting a sound corresponding to audio data transmitted from theCPU 101 a. The sound controller 16 converts the audio data transmittedby the CPU 101 a from a digital audio signal to an analog audio signal,and then outputs it to the loudspeaker 17. The loudspeaker 17 outputs asound corresponding to the analog audio signal.

The indicator 18 indicates the state of close proximity wirelesstransfer executed by the close proximity wireless transfer device 20.The indicator 18 includes a light emitting module such as an LED.

The power supply control module 19 uses electric power externallysupplied via an AC adapter 30 or that supplied from a battery 19 bprovided within the electronic apparatus 10 to supply electric power tothe respective modules of the electronic apparatus 10. In other words,the electronic apparatus 10 is driven by an external power supply suchas an AC commercial power supply, or the battery 19 b. It is alsopossible to provide the AC adapter 30 within the electronic apparatus10. The power supply control module 19 powers on or off the electronicapparatus 10 in response to a user operation of a power switch (P-SW) 19a.

The close proximity wireless transfer device 20 is a communicationmodule for executing close proximity wireless transfer. The closeproximity wireless transfer device 20 establishes a wireless connectionwith another device (an external device) which exists within apredetermined distance from the close proximity wireless transfer device20 and has a close proximity wireless transfer function. Then, the closeproximity wireless transfer device 20 starts transmission of data suchas a file. Close proximity wireless transfer between the close proximitywireless transfer device 20 and the external device is executed in apeer-to-peer manner. The range of communication is, e.g., 3 cm. It ispossible to establish a wireless connection between the close proximitywireless transfer device 20 and the external device only when thedistance between them falls within the range of communication (e.g., 3cm). When the close proximity wireless transfer device 20 and theexternal device come within the range of communication, a wirelessconnection between them is established. Then, transmission of data suchas data files explicitly designated by the user or those predeterminedto be synchronized is performed between the close proximity wirelesstransfer device 20 and the external device.

Close proximity wireless transfer uses an induction electric field. As aclose proximity wireless transfer method, TransferJet can be used.TransferJet is a close proximity wireless transfer method using UWB, andcan realize high-speed data transfer.

The close proximity wireless transfer device 20 includes a PHY/MACmodule 20 a and an antenna 20 b. The PHY/MAC module 20 a operates underthe control of the communication control program 12 a executed by theCPU 101 a. The PHY/MAC module 20 a communicates with the external devicevia the antenna 20 b. The antenna 20 b is an electrode called a coupler,and transmits/receives data to/from the external device by a wirelesssignal using an induction electric field. When the external device comeswithin the range of communication (e.g., 3 cm) from the antenna 20 b,the antennas (couplers) of the close proximity wireless transfer device20 and external device are coupled by an induction electric field,thereby enabling wireless communication between the close proximitywireless transfer device 20 and the external device. Note that it ispossible to implement the close proximity wireless transfer device 20and the antenna 20 b as one module.

The structure of the communication control program 12 a will beexplained with reference to FIG. 2.

The communication control program 12 a includes a control module 111,content information acquisition module 112, ID detection module 113,transmission rate saving module 114, transmission time calculationmodule 115, sound output control module 116, light output control module117, and communication state notification module 118.

The control module 111 controls a communication sequence between theclose proximity wireless transfer device 20 and the external device.Wireless communication (close proximity wireless transfer) between theclose proximity wireless transfer device 20 and the external device isexecuted according to the following procedure: (1) execute connectionphase; (2) execute negotiation phase; and (3) execute data transmissionphase.

In the connection phase, a connection request signal and a responsesignal to it are transmitted/received between the close proximitywireless transfer device 20 and the external device. That is, in closeproximity wireless transfer, one of the two devices transmits aconnection request signal. The other device executes processing ofdetecting a connection request signal at predetermined intervals. Whenone of the devices detects a connection request signal from the otherdevice, it is possible to establish a wireless connection between them.

In the negotiation phase, for example, content information (data size,number, and type of files to be transmitted) about content data(document data files, image data files, audio data files, or the like)to be transmitted is exchanged between the devices.

In the data transmission phase, a source device transmits, to adestination device, data (content data) to be transmitted.

The content information acquisition module 112 acquires, as contentinformation, information about content data (files) to be transmitted.The content information (content metadata) indicates the data size,number, and type of files to be transmitted. The content informationacquisition module 112 exchanges the content information with theexternal device during the negotiation phase. The content informationacquired by the content information acquisition module 112 is sent toeach of the transmission time calculation module 115, sound outputcontrol module 116, and light output control module 117.

The ID detection module 113 detects the identifier (ID) of acommunication target external device. The identifier (ID) is deviceidentification information for identifying an external device. Eachdevice having a close proximity wireless transfer function is assigned aunique device ID. A connection request signal or response signal from anexternal device can contain the device ID of the external device. Inthis case, the ID detection module 113 can detect the device ID of acommunication target external device by acquiring it from a connectionrequest signal or response signal received during the connection phase.The device ID detected by the ID detection module 113 is sent to each ofthe transmission rate saving module 114 and transmission timecalculation module 115.

The transmission rate saving module 114 saves, in a database 201 of thestorage device 13, the transmission rate of data transmitted using closeproximity wireless transfer between a communication target externaldevice and the close proximity wireless transfer device 20 inassociation with the identifier (device ID) of the communication targetexternal device.

More specifically, the transmission rate saving module 114 saves, in thedatabase 201, the transmission rate of data during the data transmissionphase in association with the device ID detected by the ID detectionmodule 113. The transmission rate is acquired by, e.g., measuring anexchange data amount (transmitted data amount or received data amount)per unit time during the data transmission phase in cooperation with thePHY/MAC module 20 a of the close proximity wireless transfer device 20.

If the database 201 has already saved a transmission rate associatedwith the device ID of a communication target external device, thetransmission rate saving module 114 executes, e.g., processing ofupdating the transmission rate saved in the database 201 with a newlymeasured transmission rate, or processing of updating the transmissionrate saved in the database 201 with a value obtained by averaging thesaved transmission rate and the newly measured transmission rate. Suchupdate processing can keep the transmission rate saved in the database201 close to the actual transmission rate.

The transmission time calculation module 115 estimates a transmissiontime to be taken to transmit, to the communication target externaldevice, content data to be transmitted. More particularly, when closeproximity wireless transfer is newly executed, the transmission timecalculation module 115 extracts a transmission rate associated with thedevice ID of an external device as a new communication partner of theclose proximity wireless transfer from the database 201. If the database201 does not store the transmission rate associated with the device IDof the external device as the communication partner, a preset referencerate is used as a transmission rate. The transmission time calculationmodule 115 then calculates a transmission time by dividing the data sizeof the content data to be transmitted which have been input from thecontent information acquisition module 112 by the acquired transmissionrate. The calculated transmission time is sent to the sound outputcontrol module 116 and light output control module 117.

Based on the content information and transmission time, the sound outputcontrol module 116 controls a sound output from the loudspeaker 17 bythe communication state notification module 118. A sound output from theloudspeaker 17 indicates switching of the communication state such asstart or end of transmission. Upon switching of the communication state,the sound output control module 116 sends, to the communication statenotification module 118, a signal for controlling the timing ofoutputting a start tone (transmission start melody) indicating the startof transmission or an end tone (transmission end melody) indicating theend of transmission, and its duration.

Based on the content information and transmission time, the light outputcontrol module 117 controls light output from the indicator 18 by thecommunication state notification module 118. That is, the module 117effects control to make the LED of the indicator 18 light continuouslyor flicker. The periods during which the LED of the indicator 18 is lit,flickering, or extinguished each indicate one communication state. Thelight output control module 117 sends, to the communication statenotification module 118, a signal for controlling the timing to make theLED light continuously (flicker) and its duration based on thecommunication state in which, e.g., transmission has started or ended,or data is being transmitted.

The communication state notification module 118 performs processing fornotifying the user of the communication state of close proximitywireless transfer being executed by the close proximity wirelesstransfer device 20. According to the control signal output from thesound output control module 116, the communication state notificationmodule 118 outputs a start tone or end tone indicating the start or endof transmission of content data from the loudspeaker 17. Based on thecontrol signal output from the light output control module 117, thecommunication state notification module 118 makes the LED of theindicator 18 light continuously or flicker to indicate that transmissionof content data has started or ended, or the content data is beingtransmitted.

Note that although FIG. 2 shows the communication state notificationmodule 118, sound output control module 116, and light output controlmodule 117 as different modules, it is possible to implement them as onemodule.

An example of the outer appearance of the electronic apparatus 10 willbe described with reference to FIG. 3 on the assumption that theelectronic apparatus 10 is implemented as a portable personal computer.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of theelectronic apparatus 10.

The electronic apparatus 10 includes a main body 41 and display unit 42.The display unit 42 is attached to the main body 41 to freely pivotbetween the open position where the upper surface of the main body 41 isexposed and the closed position where that upper surface is covered bythe display unit 42. The above LCD 15 is provided within the displayunit 42.

The main body 41 has a thin box-shaped housing. A keyboard 14 a, atouchpad 14 b, the loudspeakers 17 a and 17 b, the indicator 18, thepower switch 19 a, and the like are arranged on the upper surface of thehousing of the main body 41.

The upper surface of the main body 41, more specifically, part of a palmrest on the upper surface of the main body 41 functions as acommunication surface. That is, the close proximity wireless transferdevice 20 and the antenna (coupler) 20 b are arranged within the mainbody 41 to be opposite to the upper surface of the main body 41. Theantenna (coupler) 20 b is disposed to externally output a wirelesssignal (induction electric field) via the upper surface of the main body41 (more specifically, part of the palm rest on the upper surface of themain body 41). A small region on the upper surface of the main body 41opposite to the antenna (coupler) 20 b, i.e., a small region positionedon the upper portion of the antenna (coupler) 20 b on the upper surfaceof the main body 41 is used as a communication position. The closeproximity wireless transfer device 20 executes, via the upper surface ofthe main body 41, close proximity wireless transfer with an externaldevice existing within the predetermined range of wireless communication(e.g., 3 cm) from the communication position on the upper surface of themain body 41.

The user can start data transfer between an external device having aclose proximity wireless transfer function and the electronic apparatus10 by, e.g., an operation (to also be referred to as a touch operation)of holding the external device over the communication position on theupper surface of the main body 41.

FIG. 4 shows close proximity wireless transfer executed between a mobilephone 50 and the electronic apparatus 10. An antenna (coupler) 50 b forclose proximity wireless transfer is arranged within a housing of themobile phone 50 to be opposite to the rear surface of that housing. Inthis case, it is possible to start data transfer between the mobilephone 50 and the electronic apparatus 10 by holding the rear surface ofthe housing of the mobile phone 50 over the communication position onthe upper surface of the main body 41 of the electronic apparatus 10.

A communication sequence executed between the electronic apparatus 10and an external device will be explained next with reference to FIG. 5.

Assume that close proximity wireless transfer is executed between device1 and device 2. One of devices 1 and 2 which wants to startcommunication, e.g., device 1, transmits a connection request signal(Connect). The connection request signal can contain the device ID ofdevice 1 (e.g., the device ID of a close proximity wireless transferdevice provided within device 1). Device 2 regularly executes processingof detecting a connection request signal. When devices 1 and 2 are closeto each other, device 2 can detect the connection request signaltransmitted by device 1. Upon detecting the connection request signal,device 2 transmits a response signal (Ack) to the connection requestsignal to device 1. The response signal (Ack) can contain the device IDof device 2 (e.g., the device ID of a close proximity wireless transferdevice provided within device 2). Device 1 can detect the responsesignal (Ack) transmitted by device 2. It is possible to establish awireless connection between devices 1 and 2 by transmitting/receivingthe connection request signal/response signal in the above manner.

After that, negotiation processing is performed between devices 1 and 2.With this negotiation processing, information about content items to betransmitted is exchanged between devices 1 and 2. Data transmissionbetween devices 1 and 2 is then started.

The electronic apparatus 10 can function as above device 1 or 2.

An example of a communication situation notified by the communicationstate notification module 118 of the electronic apparatus 10 will now beexplained with reference to FIG. 6.

Assume that it is possible to transmit content data to be transmittedbetween the electronic apparatus 10 and an external device within a veryshort time, e.g., a time less than a predetermined time.

When the electronic apparatus 10 and the external device are broughtclose to each other by a user touch operation, a connection between themis established, thereby enabling transmission of the content data. Uponstart of transmission of the content data, the communication statenotification module 118 makes the LED of the indicator 18 lightcontinuously to notify the user of start of transmission. Thecommunication state notification module 118 makes the LED of theindicator 18 flicker while the content data is being transmitted. At theend of transmission of the content data, the communication statenotification module 118 makes the LED of the indicator 18 lightcontinuously for a predetermined period and then extinguishes it. Themodule 118 also generates an end tone indicating the end of transmissionand outputs it from the loudspeaker 17. With this processing, it ispossible to notify the user of the end of transmission of the contentdata. A melody different from that for the start tone is used for theend tone, and therefore, the user can determine the start and end oftransmission merely by the sound. When the user recognizes the end oftransmission, and moves the external device a predetermined distance (3cm) or more away from the electronic apparatus 10, the connectionbetween the devices is released.

Assume that the time required to transmit the content data is very short(e.g., transmission instantaneously ends). In this case, if both thestart tone indicating the start of transmission and the end toneindicating the end of transmission are output, the start and end tonesmay overlap each other or the end tone may be outputted after the actualend of transmission. This can confuse the user or cause the user to feeluncomfortable with the discord due to the overlapping of the start andend tones. For this reason, if the time required to transmit the contentdata is less than a predetermined time, communication state notificationprocessing for suppressing output of the start tone and outputting theend tone is executed, thereby allowing the user to be notified of thetransmission state of the content data without confusion. Note that tosuppress output of the start tone, the electronic apparatus 10 does notoutput the start tone, or outputs the start tone for a shorter periodthan usual.

FIG. 7 shows another example of the communication situation notified bythe communication state notification module 118 of the electronicapparatus 10.

Assume that the amount of the content data to be transmitted between theelectronic apparatus 10 and the external device is large, e.g., the timerequired for transmission is a predetermined time or more.

When the electronic apparatus 10 and the external device are broughtclose to each other by a user touch operation, it is possible totransmit the content data. Upon start of transmission of the contentdata, the communication state notification module 118 makes the LED ofthe indicator 18 flicker, and outputs the start tone from theloudspeaker 17 to notify the user of the start of transmission. At theend of transmission of the content data, the communication statenotification module 118 makes the LED of the indicator 18 lightcontinuously for a predetermined period and then extinguishes it. Themodule 118 also outputs the end tone indicating the end of transmissionfrom the loudspeaker 17. A melody different from that for the start toneis used for the end tone, and therefore, the user can determine thestart and end of transmission merely by the sound. When the userrecognizes the end of transmission, and moves the external device thepredetermined distance (3 cm) or more away from the electronic apparatus10, the connection between the devices is released.

In this manner, the communication state notification module 118 cannotify the user that transmission of the content data has started, thatthe content data is being transmitted, and that transmission of thecontent data has ended, by making the LED of the indicator 18 lightcontinuously or flicker, and by outputting the melodies from theloudspeaker 17.

As described above, if it takes some time to transmit the content data(e.g., it takes about several tens of seconds) and only the end toneindicating the end of transmission is output, the user cannot recognizewhether a connection has been established and whether transmission hasstarted, thereby causing an operation error. For example, the user maymove one device away from the other device during transmission.Therefore, if it takes some time to transmit the content data, the firstcommunication state notification processing of outputting both the starttone indicating the start of transmission of the content data and theend tone indicating the end of transmission of the content data isexecuted and different melodies are used for the start and end tones,thereby enabling the user to determine the start and end oftransmission. As for the melodies used for the start and end tones, forexample, a short melody is used for the start tone and a long melody isused for the end tone. On the other hand, if it takes a short time totransmit the content data, the second communication state notificationprocessing of suppressing output of the start tone and outputting onlythe end tone is executed to prevent a problem such as overlapping of thestart and end tones from occurring.

That is, the electronic apparatus 10 determines based on the acquiredcontent information whether the transmission time required to transmitthe content data exceeds a threshold value. If the transmission timeexceeds the threshold value, the electronic apparatus 10 executes thefirst communication state notification processing; otherwise, theelectronic apparatus 10 executes the second communication statenotification processing.

An example of a procedure of the communication processing executed bythe electronic apparatus 10 will be described next with reference to aflowchart in FIG. 8.

Connection modes in the close proximity wireless transfer method includean initiator mode and a responder mode. A device set in the initiatormode, i.e., an initiator functions as a master device, and transmits aconnection request to another device. A device set in the respondermode, i.e., a responder functions as a slave device, and detects theconnection request transmitted from the initiator. When the initiatorand responder come close to each other, a connection between them isestablished. The communication control program 12 a controls the closeproximity wireless transfer device 20, and sets the connection mode ofthe close proximity wireless transfer device 20 in the initiator orresponder mode.

If the close proximity wireless transfer device 20 is set in theinitiator mode, it transmits a connection request signal to an externaldevice (block B101). The connection request signal contains the deviceID of the close proximity wireless transfer device 20. The closeproximity wireless transfer device 20 stands by for a response signalfrom the external device. Upon receiving a response signal from theexternal device (block B102), a wireless connection between the closeproximity wireless transfer device 20 and the external device isestablished.

Alternatively, if the close proximity wireless transfer device 20 is setin the responder mode, it regularly executes processing of detecting aconnection request signal from an external device (block B101). Theconnection request signal contains the device ID of the external device.Upon receiving a connection request signal from the external device, theclose proximity wireless transfer device 20 transmits a response signaladded with its device ID to the external device (block B102).

The communication control program 12 a executes negotiation processingwith the external device as a communication partner to determine contentdata to be transmitted. With the negotiation processing, thecommunication control program 12 a acquires content information aboutthe content data to be transmitted (block B103). If the electronicapparatus 10 transmits the content data to the external device, thecommunication control program 12 a generates content information basedon the content data to be transmitted. Alternatively, if the electronicapparatus 10 receives the content data from the external device, thecommunication control program 12 a detects content information containedin the data transmitted from the external device in the negotiationprocessing. The content information indicates various attributes of thecontent data to be transmitted. More specifically, the contentinformation represents, e.g., the data size, number, and type of filesto be transmitted.

The communication control program 12 a determines based on the contentinformation whether to output a start tone (transmission start melody)indicating the start of transmission of the content data (block B104).If data transmission is expected to end within a very short time basedon the content information, the communication control program 12 a doesnot output the start tone; otherwise, the program 12 a outputs the starttone. Therefore, the communication control program 12 a does not outputthe start tone, for example, when the transmission time is less than apredetermined time, when the number of files to be transmitted is lessthan a predetermined number, when the data size of files to betransmitted is less than a predetermined size, or when the type of filesto be transmitted is not a predetermined type.

If the start tone indicating the start of transmission of the contentdata is to be output (YES in block B104), the communication controlprogram 12 a outputs the start tone from the loudspeaker 17 (blockB105).

After the start tone is output in block B105, or if the communicationcontrol program 12 a does not output the start tone indicating the startof transmission of the content data (NO in block B104), the program 12 aexecutes processing of transmitting the content data to be transmitted(block B106). At the end of transmission of the content data, thecommunication control program 12 a outputs the end tone from theloudspeaker 17 (block B107).

With the above processing, it is possible to appropriately notify theuser of the transmission situation of the content data by executing thecommunication state notification processing which does not output thestart tone if the transmission time required to transmit the contentdata is very short, and outputs the start tone if the transmission timeis long. Note that if the transmission time required to transmit thecontent data is very short, a start tone may be output by, e.g.,generating a normal start tone halfway or generating a start tone whichis shorter than the normal start tone.

In the above flowchart, notification by a sound output from theloudspeaker 17 has only been mentioned. However, based on the contentinformation and transmission time, it is possible to controlnotification by making the LED of the indicator 18 light continuously orflicker.

A detailed procedure of the communication processing executed by theelectronic apparatus 10 will now be explained with reference to FIG. 9.

The connection modes in the close proximity wireless transfer methodinclude the initiator mode and responder mode, as described above. Ifthe close proximity wireless transfer device 20 is set in the initiatormode, it transmits a connection request signal to an external device(block B201). The connection request signal contains the device ID ofthe close proximity wireless transfer device 20. The close proximitywireless transfer device 20 stands by for a response signal from theexternal device. Upon receiving a response signal from the externaldevice (block B202), a wireless connection between the close proximitywireless transfer device 20 and the external device is established.

Alternatively, if the close proximity wireless transfer device 20 is setin the responder mode, it regularly executes processing of detecting aconnection request signal from an external device (block B201). Theconnection request signal contains the device ID of the external device.Upon receiving a connection request signal from the external device, theclose proximity wireless transfer device 20 transmits a response signaladded with its device ID to the external device (block B202).

The communication control program 12 a extracts the device ID of theexternal device from the received connection request signal or responsesignal to detect the device ID of the external device as a communicationpartner (block B203). The communication control program 12 a searchesthe database 201 by using, as a key, the device ID of the externaldevice as a communication partner, and determines whether the database201 stores a transmission rate corresponding to the external device as acommunication partner (block B204).

If the database 201 stores the transmission rate corresponding to theexternal device (YES in block B204), the communication control program12 a extracts the transmission rate corresponding to the external devicefrom the database 201 (block B205); otherwise (NO in block B204), thecommunication control program 12 a uses, e.g., a predetermined referencerate as the transmission rate corresponding to the external device as acommunication partner (block B206).

Before start of data transmission, the communication control program 12a executes negotiation processing with the external device as acommunication partner, and determines content data to be transmitted.With this negotiation processing, the communication control program 12 aacquires content information about the content data to be transmitted(block B207). If the electronic apparatus 10 transmits the content datato the external device, the communication control program 12 a generatescontent information based on the content data to be transmitted.Alternatively, if the electronic apparatus 10 receives the content datafrom the external device, the communication control program 12 areceives content information contained in the data transmitted from theexternal device in the negotiation processing. The content informationindicates various attributes of the content data to be transmitted. Morespecifically, the content information represents, e.g., the data size,number, and type of files to be transmitted.

The communication control program 12 a estimates a transmission timebased on the transmission rate corresponding to the external device andthe data size of the content data to be transmitted (block B208). Morespecifically, the communication control program 12 a calculates anestimated transmission time by dividing the data size of the contentdata by the transmission rate.

As will be explained below, based on the estimated transmission time orthe content information, the communication control program 12 adetermines whether to output the start tone indicating the start oftransmission of the content data. First, the communication controlprogram 12 a determines whether the estimated transmission time is notless than a threshold value TH_(t) (block B209). If the estimatedtransmission time is less than the threshold value TH_(t) (NO in blockB209), the communication control program 12 a determines whether thedata size of the content data is not less than a threshold value TH_(s)(block B210). If the data size of the content data is less than thethreshold value TH_(s) (NO in block B210), the communication controlprogram 12 a determines whether the number of content items (files) tobe transmitted is not less than a threshold value TH_(n) (block B211).If the number of content items to be transmitted is less than thethreshold value TH_(n) (NO in block B211), the communication controlprogram 12 a does not output the start tone indicating the start oftransmission.

On the other hand, if the estimated transmission time is not less thanthe threshold value TH_(t) (YES in block B209), if the data size of thecontent data is not less than the threshold value TH_(s) (YES in blockB210), or if the number of content items to be transmitted is not lessthan the threshold TH_(n) (YES in block B211), the communication controlprogram 12 a outputs the start tone indicating the start of transmissionfrom the loudspeaker 17 (block B212).

The communication control program 12 a then executes processing oftransmitting the content data to be transmitted (block B213). At the endof transmission of the content data to be transmitted, the communicationcontrol program 12 a outputs the end tone indicating the end oftransmission from the loudspeaker 17 (block B214).

With the above processing, it is possible to appropriately notify theuser of switching of the transmission situation of the content databased on the transmission time required to transmit the content data,the size of the content data, and the number of content items. Althoughcommunication state notification is controlled based on the calculatedtransmission time in the above flowchart, it may be controlled based onthe transmission rate extracted from the database 201. It is alsopossible to set the threshold values based on, e.g., the duration of thestart tone, as needed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another detailed procedure of thecommunication processing executed by the electronic apparatus 10.

As described above, the connection modes in the close proximity wirelesstransfer method include the initiator mode and responder mode. If theclose proximity wireless transfer device 20 is set in the initiatormode, it transmits a connection request signal to an external device(block B301). The connection request signal contains the device ID ofthe close proximity wireless transfer device 20. The close proximitywireless transfer device 20 stands by for a response signal from theexternal device. Upon receiving a response signal from the externaldevice (block B302), a wireless connection between the close proximitywireless transfer device 20 and the external device is established.

Alternatively, if the close proximity wireless transfer device 20 is setin the responder mode, it regularly executes processing of detecting aconnection request signal from an external device (block B301). Theconnection request signal contains the device ID of the external device.Upon receiving the connection request signal from the external device,the close proximity wireless transfer device 20 transmits a responsesignal added with its device ID to the external device (block B302).

The communication control program 12 a extracts the device ID of theexternal device from the received connection request signal or responsesignal to detect the device ID of the external device as a communicationpartner (block B303).

Then, the communication control program 12 a executes negotiationprocessing with the external device as a communication partner, anddetermines content data to be transmitted. With this negotiationprocessing, the communication control program 12 a acquires contentinformation about the content data to be transmitted (block B304). Ifthe electronic apparatus 10 transmits the content data to the externaldevice, the communication control program 12 a generates contentinformation based on the content data to be transmitted. Alternatively,if the electronic apparatus 10 receives the content data from theexternal device, the communication control program 12 a receives contentinformation contained in the data transmitted from the external devicein the negotiation processing. The content information indicates variousattributes of the content data to be transmitted. More specifically, thecontent information represents, e.g., the data size, number, and type offiles to be transmitted.

The communication control program 12 a determines based on the contentinformation whether to output the start tone indicating the start oftransmission of the content data, as will be described below. First, thecommunication control program 12 a determines whether the data size ofthe content data is not less than the threshold value TH_(s) (blockB305). If the data size of the content data is less than the thresholdvalue TH_(s) (NO in block B305), the communication control program 12 adetermines whether the number of content items (files) to be transmittedis not less than the threshold value TH_(n) (block B306). If the numberof content items to be transmitted is less than the threshold valueTH_(n) (NO in block B306), the communication control program 12 adetermines whether the type of content items to be transmitted is adesignated type (block B307). Note that the designated type of contentis, e.g., a moving image file type whose data size is estimated to belarge. That is, the communication control program 12 a determines inblock B307 whether the type of content items to be transmitted is, e.g.,a moving file type. Based on, e.g., information on the type of contentitems detected from the content information or the extension of the filenames of the content items, it is possible to determine the type ofcontent items to be transmitted.

If the type of content items to be transmitted is not the designatedtype (NO in block B307), the communication control program 12 a does notoutput the start tone indicating the start of transmission.

On the other hand, if the data size of the content data is not less thanthe threshold TH_(s) (YES in block B305), if the number of content itemsto be transmitted is not less than the threshold TH_(n) (YES in blockB306), or if the type of content items to be transmitted is thedesignated type (YES in block B307), the communication control program12 a outputs the start tone indicating the start of transmission fromthe loudspeaker 17 (block B308).

The communication control program 12 a then executes processing oftransmitting the content data to be transmitted (block B309). At the endof transmission of the content data to be transmitted, the communicationcontrol program 12 a outputs the end tone indicating the end oftransmission from the loudspeaker 17 (block B310).

With the above processing, it is possible to appropriately notify theuser of switching of the transmission situation of the content databased on the size of the content data, the number of content items, andthe type of content items. Note that it is possible to set the thresholdvalues based on, e.g., the duration of the start tone, as needed.

As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible toappropriately notify the user of the communication state and itsswitching in close proximity wireless transfer. In this embodiment, itis possible to appropriately notify the user of the communication stateby controlling output of a start tone indicating the start oftransmission and an end tone indicating the end of transmission based onthe data size, number, and type of content items, which are contained incontent information about content data to be transmitted, and anestimated transmission time. Likewise, the LED of the indicator 18 iscontrolled to light continuously or flicker based on the contentinformation and transmission time, thereby appropriately notify the userof the communication state. Therefore, the user can readily determinethe communication state based on the output of the sound and lightemitting of the LED, and perform an appropriate operation on theelectronic apparatus 10.

Although a case in which the electronic apparatus 10 is implemented as apersonal computer functioning as a station has been explained as anexample in the embodiment, it is also possible to implement theelectronic apparatus 10 as a portable apparatus such as a mobile phoneor PDA.

The respective modules in FIG. 2 which have been described as softwaremodules in the embodiment can be accomplished as hardware modules.

The various modules of the systems described herein can be implementedas software applications, hardware and/or software modules, orcomponents on one or more computers, such as servers. While the variousmodules are illustrated separately, they may share some or all of thesame underlying logic or code.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic apparatus comprising: acommunication module configured to execute close proximity wirelesstransfer; a content information receiver configured to receive contentinformation of at least one content item to be transmitted between thecommunication module and an external device, by negotiation between thecommunication module and the external device; and a communication statenotification module configured to execute either a first communicationstate notification process of outputting a start tone indicative ofstart of transmission of the at least one content item and an end toneindicative of end of transmission of the at least one content item or asecond communication state notification process of suppressing output ofthe start tone and outputting the end tone, based on the receivedcontent information, when the at least one content item is transmittedbetween the communication module and the external device, wherein thecommunication state notification module is configured to determinewhether a transmission time required to transmit the at least onecontent item is longer than a threshold time based on the receivedcontent information, to execute the first communication statenotification process if the transmission time is longer than thethreshold time, and to execute the second communication statenotification process if the transmission time is equal to or shorterthan the threshold time.
 2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe communication state notification module is configured to calculatethe transmission time by dividing a data size of the at least onecontent item by a transmission rate of data transmitted using closeproximity wireless transfer between the external device and thecommunication module.
 3. An electronic apparatus comprising: acommunication module configured to execute close proximity wirelesstransfer; a content information receiver configured to receive contentinformation of at least one content item to be transmitted between thecommunication module and an external device, by negotiation between thecommunication module and the external device; and a communication statenotification module configured to execute either a first communicationstate notification process of outputting a start tone indicative ofstart of transmission of the at least one content item and an end toneindicative of end of transmission of the at least one content item or asecond communication state notification process of suppressing output ofthe start tone and outputting the end tone, based on the receivedcontent information, when the at least one content item is transmittedbetween the communication module and the external device, wherein thecommunication state notification module is configured to execute thefirst communication state notification process in at least one of caseswhere the data size of the at least one content item is equal to orlarger than a first threshold value, where the number of the at leastone content item is equal to or larger than a second threshold value,and where the type of the at least one content item is a predeterminedtype.
 4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, wherein the communicationstate notification module is configured to execute the secondcommunication state notification process upon satisfaction of all theconditions where the data size of the at least one content item issmaller than the first threshold value, where the number of the at leastone content item is smaller than the second threshold value, and wherethe type of the at least one content item is not the predetermined type.5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication statenotification module is configured to skip outputting the start tone whenexecuting the second communication state notification process.
 6. Acommunication state notification method of notifying a communicationstate of close proximity wireless transfer executed between an externaldevice and a communication module in an electronic apparatus, the methodcomprising: receiving content information of at least one content itemto be transmitted between the communication module and the externaldevice by negotiation between the communication module and the externaldevice; and executing either a first communication state notificationprocess of outputting a start tone indicative of start of transmissionof the at least one content item and an end tone indicative of end oftransmission of the at least one content item or a second communicationstate notification process of suppressing output of the start tone andoutputting the end tone, based on the received content information, whenthe at least one content item is transmitted between the communicationmodule and the external device, wherein the executing comprisesdetermining whether a transmission time required to transmit the atleast one content item is longer than a threshold time based on thereceived content information, executing the first communication statenotification process if the transmission time is longer than thethreshold time, and executing the second communication statenotification process if the transmission time is equal to or shorterthan the threshold time.
 7. The communication state notification methodof claim 6, wherein the executing comprises calculating the transmissiontime by dividing a data size of the at least one content item by atransmission rate of data transmitted using close proximity wirelesstransfer between the external device and the communication module. 8.The communication state notification method of claim 6, wherein theexecuting comprises skipping outputting the start tone when executingthe second communication state notification process.